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Mistakes Can Kill You: A Collection of Western Stories
Edge-of-your-seat thrillers from the greatest Western author ever.
There will never be another Western writer like Louis L’Amour. A legendary author and indisputably the greatest storyteller in his genre of all time, L’Amour captivated millions of readers and has sold well over three hundred million copies of his works, which includes nearly ninety novels and countless short stories.
Mistakes Can Kill You highlights an essential selection featuring nine of L’Amour’s earlier short stories, sometimes written under the pen name Jim Mayo, that exemplify the rugged morality of the best Western writing. In “Black Rock Coffin-Makers,” two men ready to kill over ownership of a ranch get more than they bargain for when a stranger is caught in the crossfire. And in “Four- Card Draw,” Allen Ring wins a ranch in a poker game, only to find out an unsolved murder was committed there years ago and law enforcement thinks Ring knows more about it than he’s letting on.
L’Amour made his characters come alive on the page, and his ability to capture the spirit and authenticity of the Wild West is unrivaled. Mistakes Can Kill You transports you to a world you’ll never want to leave, and proves that Louis L’Amour will always be the king of spinning a classic Western yarn.
There will never be another Western writer like Louis L’Amour. A legendary author and indisputably the greatest storyteller in his genre of all time, L’Amour captivated millions of readers and has sold well over three hundred million copies of his works, which includes nearly ninety novels and countless short stories.
Mistakes Can Kill You highlights an essential selection featuring nine of L’Amour’s earlier short stories, sometimes written under the pen name Jim Mayo, that exemplify the rugged morality of the best Western writing. In “Black Rock Coffin-Makers,” two men ready to kill over ownership of a ranch get more than they bargain for when a stranger is caught in the crossfire. And in “Four- Card Draw,” Allen Ring wins a ranch in a poker game, only to find out an unsolved murder was committed there years ago and law enforcement thinks Ring knows more about it than he’s letting on.
L’Amour made his characters come alive on the page, and his ability to capture the spirit and authenticity of the Wild West is unrivaled. Mistakes Can Kill You transports you to a world you’ll never want to leave, and proves that Louis L’Amour will always be the king of spinning a classic Western yarn.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2014
854 people are currently reading
467 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
995 books3,469 followersLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
May 29, 2015
This collection of short fiction is a gallop into the past, not so much into the post-Civil War time period when they take place, but into the decades when stories about the West were part of Americans’ shared cultural currency. These stories feature tough men with consciences, feisty women in need of a gunslinger, prospectors and gamblers, cattlemen and cowboys, clever Indian trackers, and bad hombres trying to steal all they can. In other words, a double-barreled blast of adventure.
L’Amour could spin these tales as well as anyone, and, if they are simple in construct, their impact was long-lasting. They gave Americans of several generations the visceral conviction there was always something more out there to be had—money and women, religious salvation, land and fortunes. They were the dreams that fed people. No matter how dire the circumstances, there was always the possibility of starting fresh, somewhere in the West.
Such innocent dreams created a unique American culture, and here, in this collection, the reader gets a gallon of that intoxicating mix. If your heart hasn’t been irredeemably steeped in the bitter tea of 21st century cynicism, you might enjoy these tales about an era, in fiction at least, when wrongs could be righted. Axt’s narration is pretty good, too, and for these purposes, his name is perfect.
L’Amour could spin these tales as well as anyone, and, if they are simple in construct, their impact was long-lasting. They gave Americans of several generations the visceral conviction there was always something more out there to be had—money and women, religious salvation, land and fortunes. They were the dreams that fed people. No matter how dire the circumstances, there was always the possibility of starting fresh, somewhere in the West.
Such innocent dreams created a unique American culture, and here, in this collection, the reader gets a gallon of that intoxicating mix. If your heart hasn’t been irredeemably steeped in the bitter tea of 21st century cynicism, you might enjoy these tales about an era, in fiction at least, when wrongs could be righted. Axt’s narration is pretty good, too, and for these purposes, his name is perfect.
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May 5, 2016I got this book to take with me on a trip to Illinois. I downloaded it to the Audible app on my iPhone. This is the first time I had used the Audible iPhone app. I always download to my iPod. I found the app worked satisfactorily and was easy to use. I took with me the ear buds that came with the iPhone. I found this adequate except on the airplane, the engine noise made it very difficult to hear even on high volume; next time I will take my noise reducing headphone with me. I found listening to the short stories great while waiting in the airport and before bed.
I am a long time fan of L’Amour and have read almost all of his works. I think this was one of those collections of short stories taken from the western magazine stories published in the 1930s under the pseudonym of Jim Mayo. Some of these stories had the copyright lapse and are now in public domain. L’Amour was normally very careful about renewing his copyrights or rewriting stories that the copyright had lapsed. Therefore there are few of these stories in the public domain. There are nine short stories in this collection all typical western stories of their era. I found the short stories worked great on the trip as well as the iPhone app to listen with. I guess I am sort of catching up with modern times. Lance Axt does a good job narrating the book.
I am a long time fan of L’Amour and have read almost all of his works. I think this was one of those collections of short stories taken from the western magazine stories published in the 1930s under the pseudonym of Jim Mayo. Some of these stories had the copyright lapse and are now in public domain. L’Amour was normally very careful about renewing his copyrights or rewriting stories that the copyright had lapsed. Therefore there are few of these stories in the public domain. There are nine short stories in this collection all typical western stories of their era. I found the short stories worked great on the trip as well as the iPhone app to listen with. I guess I am sort of catching up with modern times. Lance Axt does a good job narrating the book.
August 28, 2023
A collection of good, but formulaic stories that are elevated by L’Amour’s prose. An enjoyable read, but you can find better Western Lit out there, including from L’Amour himself.
August 29, 2025
Louis L’amour is one of my favorite writers of junk food for the brain.
May 16, 2019
I was looking for some short stories to read when I had smaller blocks of time available. I found this collection on Kindle Unlimited. I'm not a big fan of Westerns, but Louis L'Amour's reputation was enough for me to give these a try. And, I enjoyed them thoroughly. Some other reviewers thought they were too similar, but I found them to have enough variation to remain entertaining. A couple of them span a few short chapters, so they are more novella length. I'll be looking for more Louis L'Amour in my reading future!
September 14, 2025
more like 3.5 stars...
June 27, 2025
Good if not particularly original short stories.
December 31, 2019
A tense and exciting, well researched, well-crafted story set in the wild untamed west of the 1850s, written in the inimitable style of the master of the genre, Louis L’Amour. You know there will be gunslingers and gunfights, back shooters and double crossers, a ranch under siege and a damsel in distress. . . and one good guy to drift into the rescue. Johnny was his name. A young cowboy with a reputation as a fast gun. But was the reputation unearned? Had he just been Lucy up until now? Two crusty bad men, deadly vipers with a gun, and a dishonest barkeep are about to find out. A better voice and a better character couldn’t have been picked to narrate this story than the old cowboy himself, Willie Nelson. Listen and relive this tale of the old west.
March 27, 2018
NOT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE
Loved all the written westerns, each one interesting and they were quick reads, you know, fast moving. Loved the names don't know if they are real, but interesting, such as, Shirttail Creek, Bloody Basin, Skeleton Ridge and Hardscrabble Creek. The other characters names were Bugle Nose Bender, Blue Riddle, Blaze Garden and the homespun sentences such as;" I ain't afeerd of him or He hustled his hock's for those hills like he was headin home from a trail drive."
These stories are entertaining and funny in a dark way. The descriptions of the areas and the different situations these cowboys, drifters, men who've fought in Africa and with French Foreign Legion. But now they are back on American soil, the only difference is who or what your fighting for......no difference other than your on another continent fighting for your life..Yes mistakes can kill you..so pay attention, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the situations.....
Loved all the written westerns, each one interesting and they were quick reads, you know, fast moving. Loved the names don't know if they are real, but interesting, such as, Shirttail Creek, Bloody Basin, Skeleton Ridge and Hardscrabble Creek. The other characters names were Bugle Nose Bender, Blue Riddle, Blaze Garden and the homespun sentences such as;" I ain't afeerd of him or He hustled his hock's for those hills like he was headin home from a trail drive."
These stories are entertaining and funny in a dark way. The descriptions of the areas and the different situations these cowboys, drifters, men who've fought in Africa and with French Foreign Legion. But now they are back on American soil, the only difference is who or what your fighting for......no difference other than your on another continent fighting for your life..Yes mistakes can kill you..so pay attention, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the situations.....
March 20, 2017
Mistakes Can Kill You by Louis L'Amour was a book about the wild west. Johnny O'Day is a mysterious man who nobody really knows. After he was taken in by the Redlins, he was kind of adopted by them. Years earlier he had came to the ranch with nothing, but the shirt on his back and a bad case of pneumonia. At least that's what they thought. Once he got better, he snuck into the mountains and recovered his guns and some nice clothes he had hidden in a cave before coming to the ranch. Now the Redlin's real son, Sam, has gotten into trouble in town and he had $7000 that he was supposed to have deposited. There only hope to save Sam is to send Johnny after him, but will Johnny's past get in the way of this seemingly simple job? Find out in Mistakes can kill you.
I liked this book
I liked this book
June 13, 2025
This is a compilation of L’Amour’s works, some of whom I’d read in other editions.
What drags this one’s rating down is “The Trail To Peach Meadow Canyon. Published in 1949, it is an amateurish piece stocked full with an improbably poor plot, terrible dialogue, and ridiculously incongruent events and action sequences. It is so bad I found myself laughing at it.
At one point L’Amour has one of the protagonists speaking to his own daughter, and attaches this to the section, “He looked up at her, his admiring eyes taking in her slim, well-rounded figure.” Really? Dad is checking out his own daughter’s body and appraising it?
L’Amour in his memoir “The Education of a Wandering Man” acknowledges that in his early days he had a lot to learn. It’s a wonder this ever was published.
What drags this one’s rating down is “The Trail To Peach Meadow Canyon. Published in 1949, it is an amateurish piece stocked full with an improbably poor plot, terrible dialogue, and ridiculously incongruent events and action sequences. It is so bad I found myself laughing at it.
At one point L’Amour has one of the protagonists speaking to his own daughter, and attaches this to the section, “He looked up at her, his admiring eyes taking in her slim, well-rounded figure.” Really? Dad is checking out his own daughter’s body and appraising it?
L’Amour in his memoir “The Education of a Wandering Man” acknowledges that in his early days he had a lot to learn. It’s a wonder this ever was published.
April 27, 2020
I rarely read Westerns, but this was a short story collection and I had been looking for something different.
A few of the stories were fairly interesting, but they got repetitive over the course of the book. Every single main character was the fastest with a gun anyone had ever seen and no one could beat them. Plus, they suddenly fell in love in every story but the last one, and suddenly settle down. In short story form it felt really formulaic.
And unfortunately, my main apprehension about the book proved to be true—it had boatloads of racial slurs. I think I’m done (again) with Westerns.
A few of the stories were fairly interesting, but they got repetitive over the course of the book. Every single main character was the fastest with a gun anyone had ever seen and no one could beat them. Plus, they suddenly fell in love in every story but the last one, and suddenly settle down. In short story form it felt really formulaic.
And unfortunately, my main apprehension about the book proved to be true—it had boatloads of racial slurs. I think I’m done (again) with Westerns.
February 28, 2020
kindle unlimited with audio, chosen for a prompt in the read harder challenge. I grew up watching Gunsmoke and that type of show, and read Louis L'Amour at a younger age, but I don't care for them much at all anymore. Westerns just don't seem to have aged very well .... So this wasn't the best book for me, but the short stories fit the need for the challenge and weren't as offensive as others have been.
January 6, 2024
I wanted to read a book by this author and had no idea where to start; this book was practically chosen by random. I enjoyed it, but at one point (after setting down the book overnight) I was completely lost on which character was which because I was mixing characters from previous short stories—they’re all cowboy heroes. If you want to read some simple cowboy tales of the Wild West, this book is perfect.
February 19, 2018
Superb collection of short stories by the MASTER writer of Westerns.
While I do see a somewhat consistent pattern where cowboys with excellent shooting and other skills help out damsels in distress, I find these classic stories engaging.
L'Amour is excellent at very quickly developing characters and building interesting stories in a short period of time.
Mark
While I do see a somewhat consistent pattern where cowboys with excellent shooting and other skills help out damsels in distress, I find these classic stories engaging.
L'Amour is excellent at very quickly developing characters and building interesting stories in a short period of time.
Mark
November 12, 2018
It's been decades since my last Louis L'Amour book and probably longer since my last anthology. I forgot how much I loved the simplicity of his writing. I enjoyed the unassuming heroics and sense of a code of honor for all his protagonists. I gave it the 5th star purely based on nostalgia.
It's simply a fun read.
It's simply a fun read.
December 25, 2019
The west comes alive
The west comes alive in the writing of Louis L'Amour. The western heroes of my youth live again in these stories. I enjoyed reading all the stories in this collection and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good western story. Lots of action and adventure and the heroes win in the end.
The west comes alive in the writing of Louis L'Amour. The western heroes of my youth live again in these stories. I enjoyed reading all the stories in this collection and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good western story. Lots of action and adventure and the heroes win in the end.
March 6, 2022
I am not a huge fan of short stories. The main reason perhaps that it is too short if I like ihe story and too long if I don't. Understanably the two longest stories of this selection were my favourite: The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon and Ride, You Tonto Riders.
Generally, L'Amour's books are a balm to one's soul. Easy reading even if you are not a 'wester' fanatic.
Generally, L'Amour's books are a balm to one's soul. Easy reading even if you are not a 'wester' fanatic.
April 29, 2022
Black Rock Coffin-Makers – (Prior review posted - Dead Ringer: A Western Trio)
The Nester and The Paiute – (Prior review posted - The Strong Land: A Western Sextet)
Mistakes Can Kill You – Sam Redland was riding with a bad bunch, and Johnny had a surprise.
Four-Card Draw – Draw four cards and your luck runs out. Allen Ring proved different.
Law of the Desert Born – Shad Marone was a gunfighter, they had him boxed, and they wanted to kill him.
The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon – (Prior review posted - Showdown Trail: A Western Duo)
Ride, You Tonto Raiders – (Prior review posted)
Trail to Pie Town – (Prior review posted)
Lit a Shuck for Texas – (Prior review posted - The Strong Land: A Western Sextet)
The Nester and The Paiute – (Prior review posted - The Strong Land: A Western Sextet)
Mistakes Can Kill You – Sam Redland was riding with a bad bunch, and Johnny had a surprise.
Four-Card Draw – Draw four cards and your luck runs out. Allen Ring proved different.
Law of the Desert Born – Shad Marone was a gunfighter, they had him boxed, and they wanted to kill him.
The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon – (Prior review posted - Showdown Trail: A Western Duo)
Ride, You Tonto Raiders – (Prior review posted)
Trail to Pie Town – (Prior review posted)
Lit a Shuck for Texas – (Prior review posted - The Strong Land: A Western Sextet)
February 1, 2023
Louis L'Amour
What can you tsay? Louis L'Amour is one of the best writers ever to put pen to paper. He had a way with story telling that just made his characters seem more than alive. You want to wish that you could could meet him now and here about his life and times.
Enjoy and relax. Keep reading !
What can you tsay? Louis L'Amour is one of the best writers ever to put pen to paper. He had a way with story telling that just made his characters seem more than alive. You want to wish that you could could meet him now and here about his life and times.
Enjoy and relax. Keep reading !
October 14, 2025
Audiobook. Uncertain of true read dates.
My first L'amour; will not be my last. I understand now why my parents had scads of his books. He uses a certain economy of words while still painting crystal-clear places, people, motivation, intent... Well-deserved, unchallenged position as king of cowboy stories!
My first L'amour; will not be my last. I understand now why my parents had scads of his books. He uses a certain economy of words while still painting crystal-clear places, people, motivation, intent... Well-deserved, unchallenged position as king of cowboy stories!
December 15, 2018
L'Amour's reputation is well earned.
I suppose every Tom, Dick, and halfwit thinks they can write a western, and that's mostly what you get from kindle unlimited. Self published books that no reputable publisher would touch. But, this is L'Amour, and you know it's good.
I suppose every Tom, Dick, and halfwit thinks they can write a western, and that's mostly what you get from kindle unlimited. Self published books that no reputable publisher would touch. But, this is L'Amour, and you know it's good.
July 24, 2019
The books of Louis L'Amour are never just western adventures; they are books about civilization, loyalty, justice, and the tension between good and bad with which each of us inwardly struggle. These short stories are good reads.
March 1, 2020
The best!
Makes me want to walk and ride all the places he wrote about.
Came to Colorado in the late 70’s. There were still fields of grass chest high. It’s all over crowded and used up. Too many people on land that wasn’t meant to support so many people.
Makes me want to walk and ride all the places he wrote about.
Came to Colorado in the late 70’s. There were still fields of grass chest high. It’s all over crowded and used up. Too many people on land that wasn’t meant to support so many people.
June 13, 2020
I didn't finish this, but it had some pretty good stories to be honest. It's just hard for me to get into short story formats. Too much stop and go and reset to totally get absorbed in the reading. Thus, 3 stars.
But will look to read novels from this author soon though.
But will look to read novels from this author soon though.
March 27, 2022
If you know L’Amour you’ll enjoy this collection, if you don’t already know L’Amour this is a great place to start. L’Amour is a legend, arguably the legend of his genre and this is a very typical collection of his stories. They are both nothing special and subtly very, very, good.
October 8, 2022
What a fun collection of stories. The author Louis L’ Amour wrote hundreds of stories and books about interesting cowboy characters during the westward expansion. Refreshing to read about when men were men for real.
September 12, 2023
I don’t think I’m cut out for short story collections in audio. Maybe it’s because westerns are new to me but frankly, they all sounded the same. I found it hard to track the stories, always wondering “What happened to Ellie or Hank?” without realizing I was in another story.
October 11, 2023
I am a first timer to cowboy fiction and now a convert. Really enjoyed this collection. Much, much better than I thought it would be and that is a reflection on me rather than anything else (silly snobbery). Recommended.
November 3, 2024
For a guy who died in 1988
For a guy who died in 1988 he's a very prolific writer. These short stories are the basis of several of his novels. His kids are just searching through his desk publishing what they can.
For a guy who died in 1988 he's a very prolific writer. These short stories are the basis of several of his novels. His kids are just searching through his desk publishing what they can.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews